NAME: George D. (nickname Pinky) Nelson (Ph.D.)
NASA Astronaut
BIRTHPLACE AND DATE: Born July 13, 1950, in Charles City, Iowa. Considers
Willmar, Minnesota, to be his hometown. His father, Mr. George V. Nelson,
lives in Clinton, Iowa.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Blond hair; blue eyes; height: 5 feet 9 inches; weight:
170 pounds.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Willmar Senior High School, Willmar, Minnesota, in
1968; received a bachelor of science degree in Physics from Harvey Mudd College
in 1972 and a master of science and a doctorate in Astronomy from the
University of Washington in 1974 and 1978, respectively.
MARITAL STATUS: His wife Susie is from Alhambra, California.
CHILDREN: Aimee Tess, April 25, 1972; Marti Ann, February 27, 1975.
RECREATIONAL INTERESTS: He enjoys playing golf, swimming, running, and music.
EXPERIENCE: Dr. Nelson performed astronomical research at the Sacramento Peak
Solar Observatory, Sunspot, New Mexico; the Astronomical Institute at Utrecht,
Utrecht, the Netherlands; and the University of Gottingen Observatory,
Gottingen, West Germany, and at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics
in Boulder, Colorado.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Dr. Nelson was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in
January 1978. He flew as a scientific equipment operator in the WB 57-F earth
resources aircraft; served as the Astronaut Office representative in the Space
Shuttle Extravehicular Mobility Unit (space suit) development effort. During
STS-1 he was the photographer in the prime chase plane. He also served as
support crewman and CAPCOM for the last two OFT flights, STS-3 and STS-4, and
as head of the Astronaut Office Mission Development Group.
Dr. Nelson first flew on STS 41-C (April 6-13, 1984). During the seven day
flight of Challenger the crew successfully deployed the Long Duration Exposure
Facility (LDEF); retrieved the ailing Solar Maximum Satellite, repaired it
on-board the Orbiter, and replaced it in orbit. The mission also included
flight testing of Manned Maneuvering Units (MMU's) in two extravehicular
activities (EVA's); operation of the Cinema 360 and IMAX Camera Systems.
He then flew on STS 61-C, which launched from the Kennedy Space Center,
Florida, on January 12, and made a night landing at Edwards Air Force Base,
California, on January 18, 1986. During the six day flight of Columbia, the
crew deployed the SATCOM KU satellite, and conducted experiments in
astrophysics and materials processing.
Dr. Nelson then flew on STS-26, the first flight to be flown after the
Challenger accident. The Orbiter Discovery was launched from the Kennedy Space
Center, Florida, on September 29, 1988. During the four day mission, the crew
successfully deployed the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-C), and
operated eleven mid-deck science experiments. With the completion of his third
space flight he logged a total of 411 hours in space, including 10 hours of EVA
flight time.
Currently Assistant Provost and Associate Professor of Astronomy, University of
Washington, Seattle, Washington.
NOVEMBER, 1989